Street marketing is blowing up

Canadian Tire lines Danforth neighbourhood with big balloon animals

In the age of the selfie, inflatables are an advertiser’s best friend.

In the summer months especially, when marketing strategists go outside and test the public’s appetite for publicity stunts, helium balloons and gaudy props often serve as a backdrop for nearly every popup and branding exercise across the city.

This weekend, Canadian Tire has lined the front lawns of homes in the Danforth neighbourhood with massive pink flamingos and unicorns, garden gnomes and dairy cows, as part of an advertising campaign to celebrate the company’s centennial anniversary.

The festivities have attracted families in search of fun and the Instagram-inclined in search of a photo-op.

It’s a bold approach to marketing — turning a random residential street in Toronto into a kilometrelong advertisement for a $10-billion company — but one that reflects an experimental moment in the advertising world.

“For the last two years, most interactions that companies have had with people have been virtual, so they’re now wanting to get outside and advertise in the community,” said David Soberman, a professor of marketing at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

North American companies spent more than $1.8 billion on outdoor advertising (known in the marketing world as out-of-home or “OOH” advertising) in the first few months of 2022, a massive spike compared with the early months of 2021, according to data from the Out of Home Advertising Association of America.

But after years of dwindling sales and foot traffic, some retailers are also trying to sell consumers on their community ties while keeping costs low.

Nearly 50 homeowners on Bastedo Avenue, a quiet street with semidetached properties and tall oak trees, agreed to place floaties on their lawns for Canadian Tire’s birthday. Since the marketing is on private property and does not impede traffic, the company did not need a street permit to go ahead with the campaign, a company spokesperson said.

“Campaigns like these are a pretty innovative way to advertise and draw attention to your brand without having to spend much money,” said Soberman.

The company did not say why it chose the Danforth, but Canadian Tire has long appealed to middleclass homeowners in need of gardening tools and sports equipment for the kids. For a company fairly embedded in the national psyche, displays of community connection are key to sustaining the brand — especially as it faces increasingly stiff competition from similar retailers including Walmart and Amazon. The company’s advantage in Canada, experts have said, is its name recognition and familiarity.

The retailer’s campaign also sparks an interesting question for residents: Can your street sporadically transform into a marketing campaign?

In short, the answer is yes — but only if the neighbours agree to it.

Disgruntled members of the community would likely have to phone 311 to register complaints with the city.

“There are bylaws about how big advertising can be, but the benefit of displays like these is that they’re very temporary and probably take a few hours to put up and take down. And the community is evidently on board with it, so the risk isn’t high,” said Soberman.